When Is Picky Eating a Disorder? Understanding ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)

Is your child a picky eater, or is it something more serious — and how can you tell? Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) goes far beyond food preferences. It’s driven by deep-seated fears of choking, vomiting, or other anxieties that can lead to dangerous nutritional deficiencies.

In this episode, Gabe Howard sits down with ADAA member expert Dr. Jacqueline Sperling, a clinical psychologist and Harvard Medical School professor, to break down the signs of ARFID, outline how it differs from typical picky eating, and mention when parents should seek professional help. Learn how to spot the red flags, understand the role of anxiety in food avoidance, and discover ways to support kids managing this lesser known eating disorder. If mealtimes are a battle in your home, this episode is a must-listen!

Special thanks to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America for sponsoring this episode. 

“They could have different obsessions of what might happen should they eat any of those foods. Some could have a fear that there's contamination. Some can have a fear that it's cooked all the way. Some can have a concern that something separate from the food, but a negative consequence may happen if they eat those foods. It can also happen that someone is worried about having IBS symptoms in public, so they don't want to eat certain foods. And so they limit the foods that they eat, or even when they're at home because they're worried about when they go out in public afterward.” ~Jacqueline Sperling, PhD

Our guest, Jacqueline Sperling, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, assistant professor in psychology at Harvard Medical School, and the co-founder and co-program director of the McLean Anxiety Mastery Program at McLean Hospital. She is the author of the young adult nonfiction book “Find Your Fierce: How to Put Social Anxiety in Its Place” and a contributor for Harvard Health Publishing.

Dr. Sperling specializes in implementing cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention and working with youth with anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. She also focuses on caregiver guidance, such as by using behavioral parent training, to help families address children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

In addition, Dr. Sperling is passionate about disseminating evidence-based information to the community, and she frequently speaks about the impact of social media use on mental health. Moreover, Dr. Sperling is committed to increasing access to care and participates in advocacy at state and federal government levels.

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe is also the host of the "Inside Bipolar" podcast with Dr. Nicole Washington.

Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can’t imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.

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